McGuinty says Ontario has struck deal with doctors

TORONTO – Ontario’s cash-strapped government reversed some earlier fee cuts to reach a new agreement with the province’s doctors that will add $100 million to their total compensation package, Health Minister Deb Matthews said Tuesday.

The tentative fee agreement with the Ontario Medical Association includes savings in other areas to completely offset the additional payments for doctors, she added.

“I’m very, very pleased that we were able to sit down with the OMA and really work with them in a very serious, deliberate fashion to meet our fiscal mandate,” Matthews told reporters.

“Yes, there is a little bit more in the physician services envelope, but every penny of that is offset by system savings that doctors control.”

The $100 million won’t even cover the fees for the 600 new doctors who set up shop in Ontario each year, added the minister.

The two-year deal provides increased payments for lumbar spine X-rays, CT scans and doctors’ home visits to seniors, as well as reversing six of the 34 fee cuts the government made in May for such things as an after-hours premium, a flat fee for anaesthesia and self-referral fees.

“We were prepared to listen to doctors, and if they had a better way of achieving the same objective we’re prepared to work with them,” said Matthews.

“I didn’t want to get stuck in a position where I was so entrenched in my perspective that I wouldn’t listen to doctors.”

The Progressive Conservatives lashed out at the Liberals for not sticking to the fee cuts they announced in May, and complained about the fact they can’t ask questions about the deal in the legislature because Premier Dalton McGuinty has prorogued it until sometime next year.

“This is what a flailing, failed government looks like,” said Opposition Leader Tim Hudak.

“They make one announcement and then months later backpedal. I wish the house were in session right now so I could ask questions of the premier to find out exactly how much more this is going to cost taxpayers.”

McGuinty praised the deal as fiscally responsible.

“This new agreement respects our fiscal plan, it respects Ontario doctors and protects all the gains that we’ve made together on behalf of Ontario patients,” said McGuinty.

The agreement with the OMA is scheduled to be voted on by 25,000 doctors next month, and Matthews said it does meet the province’s objective of freezing the wages of all public sector workers for two years to trim a $14.4-billion deficit.

“We can characterize this as a real wage freeze,” she said.

“This was a true partnership, Ontario’s doctors sitting down with the government and figuring out how to provide better care given our difficult fiscal circumstances.”

The OMA did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday, but did provide a quote for the government’s press release.

“Ontario doctors were pleased to help the province find savings in the health care system that protect patient care and allow for investments in other areas,” OMA president Dr. Doug Weir said in the release.

Talks between the province and the OMA resumed in September after breaking off when the government made regulatory changes to cut Ontario Health Insurance Plan fees and premiums.

“You will know we had some difficulty at the outset when it came to negotiating an agreement with our doctors, but I’m proud to report that we have found ways to come back to the table to demonstrate some flexibility on the part of each party to this agreement,” said McGuinty.